I think writers in general have an issue of buying into Storm's hype too much.
Like I was just told that Storm's story in the new Women of Marvel Voices special, she once again steals from her friends to avoid having a conversation, this time breaking into Asgard and killing some Nidhoggs instead of just asking Thor. Even worse is that it doesn't work as intended, only causing a lot of noise and pissing of the bad guys.
So once again Storm is written as a bad friend and makes terrible decisions born of her own impulse.
That what I mean by this is a rare opportunity to really organically grow a relationship between them, like, the last time we saw anything like that for T'Challa was McGregors Panthers Rage with Monica, and I hope for something like that, where BOTH developed real feelings and want to be together. It's been almost 20 years since T'Challa got together with Storm and all this time he is left hung up on her. Let the man have a healthy relationship
That Shanna stuff really came out of nowhere during the Hudlin run lol. They hinted they might’ve been a thing (I think in 616 too) and I still don’t understand how that works continuity-wise. In another universe that could be funny.
I would like to see T’Challa interact more with Savage Land characters like Shanna and Ka-Zar since it’s home to vibranium and dinosaurs like Wakanda. I imagine T’Challa would see strategic value in making sure the Savage Land is protected from exploitation. And maybe Wakandans have visited there in the past for pilgrimage or exile. Could be a fun story and a great excuse to do something besides a “Wakanda is falling apart” arc.
I think the next BP series is gonna have to go hard on the mysticism and pulpiness aspect of BP to distinguish itself from recent failures. T’Challa as a poor man’s Batman is clearly not a winning formula and with Ultimate BP finally doing a traditional take, I think the next BP series needs to be adventurous and lighter. If it’s more T’Challa dealing with BS in Wakanda while learning about himself for the 100th time post-Nation Under Our Feet the book will be cancelled like Ewing and Ridley. 616 T’Challa is ruined until the direction changes.
I agree that the model of the last few years for BP and Wakanda has been disastrous.
I wouldn't mind them bringing back an Agents of Wakanda/X-Force type book where T'Challa leads a team that deals with some of the hidden, underlying threats not only to Wakanda but to the world.
Ewing wrote the best modern Storm epic in years and I don’t think T’Challa was brought up once, we don’t gotta do that. And a little jab in a bad Wolverine ongoing is not stopping T’Challa from getting with Monica or Zanda.
The Storm/T’Challa dynamic is about Black Panther writers using it to deconstruct T’Challa’s failures as a person, hero, and king (just look at Ridley and Coates). That’s why it sucks, it only exists to show T’Challa mess up and be wrong because writers focus on the “leaders of different peoples” trope and create conflicts that Storm will never be written to lose because we all know why. It’s why Coates never had Ororo be confronted about AvX the way T’Challa was and why Ridley has him groveling on his feet after she physically attacked him.
T’Challa’s next love interest should not be a leader or political rival. Like Storm herself, he needs a love interest who takes backseat in the pair because there’s something more important than either of them, Wakanda. I never understood this idea T’Challa needs an “equal” in romance (or what that even means). He’s the king, the ultimate representative of his god, and the one with his name in the title. Everyone in Wakanda should be secondary in his book, including his love interest. Making them some ruler in their own right is not compelling and a misunderstanding of the core appeal of T’Challa himself.
Agreed, and that type of petty goes a long way in showing just how lacking In vision and talent those writers are. They access to a character with such potential and the most you do is childishly snip at another character, a black one at that. You really see the contrast between boys and men when Ewing (Al) got hold of Storm, he WROTE her, built up her legacy without the need to snip at anyone, especially Black Panther. I've said it there and I'll say it again, best thing for X-Men is to just ship all those other clique, fan boy writers away and start fresh with good young talent with the edict to write a team book as a team. Don't write Wolverine or Cyclops and just float some other mutants around them.
I never quite liked the Agents of Wakanda name because it felt a bit too derivative of the SHIELD title but the book itself was a lot of fun. It had a wacky roster and it felt like a solid return to T’Challa’s swashbuckling from his earlier appearances. Honestly I think a BP-led team like that may be on the table again instead of another solo. If Marvel wanted it could do another
Agents of Wakanda deserved more issues.
I'm not sure if it was in SWORD or X-Men Red or Guardians but I feel like there was as scene where Storm threw shade at T'Challa for the Ridley stuff and going all "no thrones!!!"
I don't think a love interest should overtake T'Challa in the narrative of the book but it's easier for people to buy in and support a relationship where both halves feel like equals in terms of the relationship. That's what separates the good romances from the generic love interests.